The Ashen Vigil is a splinter order that broke from the **Order of Last Light** during humanity’s first campaigns beyond the Wall a century ago. When their expedition reached the sealed gates of Gloomdeep, they found a labyrinth of unending horror — a necropolis filled with feral revenants, plague-beasts, and demons spawned from rifts in the Veil. The Last Light sealed the tomb and withdrew, clinging to their creed of consecration. But many who returned from that expedition believed such mercy to be naïve. They formed the Ashen Vigil, declaring that only fire, steel, and ruthless containment could hold back the plague.
- **100 years ago** – Humanity’s expansion led the Order of Last Light to rediscover Gloomdeep. Confronted with its undying horrors, the order split: those who abandoned consecration and embraced fire became the Ashen Vigil.
- Their founding vow: *“Burn all, lest the rot endure.”*
- **Lord of Ashes** – The grim leader of the Vigil, said to have survived the first rediscovery of Gloomdeep.
- **Ashwardens** – Commanders overseeing sealed plague sites and frontier pyres.
- **Pale Knights** – Blackened-armored warriors wielding fire, steel, and forbidden runes.
- **Torchbearers** – Rank-and-file who burn the dead, raze villages touched by plague, and carry the Vigil’s creed into the wilds.
- **Fire Above All** – Purification through flame, even if the living must burn with the dead.
- **No Rest for the Tainted** – The corrupted cannot be redeemed; salvation is a lie.
- **Containment First** – If an outbreak occurs, walls are raised, pyres lit, and survivors sacrificed to halt its spread.
- **The Dark Fire** – Some within the Vigil flirt with demon-taint, claiming only by mastering it can Gloomdeep ever truly be purged.
- **Within the Walls** – Small and distrusted chapters, tolerated for necessity but watched closely.
- **On the Frontier** – Vigil pyre-camps rise beside plague sites, where smoke and ash stain the land black.
- **At Gloomdeep** – They maintain secret watch over its sealed gates, ensuring the necropolis remains entombed.
- **Order of Last Light** – Bitter enemies born of the same origin. The Last Light condemns the Vigil as heretics who abandoned mercy.
- **Crimson Standard** – Uneasy allies; the Crimson needs their cleansing, but fears their fanaticism.
- **Order of Dawn** – Distrust and hostility; the Dawn sees them as dangerous zealots.
- **Mage Guild** – Pragmatic cooperation. The Guild covets their plague lore, and some Vigil commanders barter secrets in exchange for wards and runes.
- **Dragon Knights** – A mutual respect born of necessity; both are forged from dangerous power to fight inhuman horrors.